The brave, the cowardly and the caring
by xaArzie
Summary: Firmness and courage: qualities essential in war AND LOVE. The chronicles of Roy and Riza and their relationship in the midst of another war. POST OVA fic. Watch out for the ELRICS and new HUMUCULI!
1. Warm ? Welcome back

Hey guys…pls. review, review, REVIEW!

If the first chapter goes well, I'm actually planning this to be a pretty long fic…

* * *

Bullets can take away life in an instant. They can release you of your burdens in the blink of an eye or they could let you wallow in you misery for hours, howling in pain.

That's how normal soldiers, casualties, victims and anyone who's ever had the misfortune of finding themselves in the path of one have seen them. In Riza Hawkeye's case however, it is the exact opposite. Her bullet and her gun are the symbols of life, her life at least.

She was the gun she held and everything else was a bullet. Every dream she's had to let go of, every loved one she's lost, and her very duty was a bullet. He duty most of all.

A bullet only travels straight. It has its own unique but fixed path that it never goes back on. The same was true for the person she was assigned to guard. He had nowhere to go but forward. She pointed him in the right direction and pushed him forward, only forward.

This was her job and she had been contented with it. She was as happy being the person i\on the sidelines. She knew her place and, as a bullet will never return to the weapon from which it came, she had long accepted the fact that one day he would leave her behind as well.

That is, she expected him to get somewhere _better_. Nothing had forewarned her of this.

As foreseen, he did disappear from his usual desk and his old subordinates. He did move away from them, from her but not because he was _promoted_, oh no, because he was _demoted._

Oh the shame she felt, after devoting her entire career to lift his, this happens! He let her down, not only that, he embarrassed her. It was as if she had put all her effort in shooting only to have the bullet swing back at her.

Another bullet.

The loud bangs as the ammo left her weapon blocked out the rest of the world. In this narrow range she was alone to wallow in her self-pity. Everything else didn't matter at the moment.

It was already a quarter past eight and she still hadn't come in for work and she still didn't show any intention of going.

Behind her the phone rang continuously but she didn't hear, or maybe she just ignored it.

He would be coming back today. He actually had the nerve to show his face again. Worse, he would be reinstated to his former position of Brigadier General. Riza didn't really feel like seeing that, at least, not yet.

* * *

"No one's answering at the shooting range, sir." A blonde young man with unusual gravity-defying bangs saluted.

"Th-Thank you, lieutenant Havoc." The dark haired man behind his desk replied.

He brushed of over-imaginative hunches to the back of his head. "Maybe she's just tired." He tried to convince himself as he leafed through the paperwork he was reunited with.

At half past nine the door to their office creaked open and the first thing they heard were the cheerful barks of Black Hayate, the first Lieutenant's beloved dog.

He felt as if everyone in the room was holding their breath as they waited for her entire figure to come into view from behind the door. She entered without even raising her head in greeting and silently headed towards her own desk. She sat down and worked wordlessly.

His eyes never tore away from her, i for some greeting or any kind of acknowledgement of his presence, any at all. None came.

He let it go, shrugging off her lack of words as fatigue, and returned to his own work.

A quarter to eleven, it was almost lunchtime. The room began to empty but she stayed to finish the paperwork she had missed all morning. He stood silently over her table, waiting for her to look up, like she used to but she didn't. He coughed a bit to get her attention and she finally let her eyes meet his, reluctantly.

"Aren't you coming to the lunch hall?" He offered amiably.

"In a while. I need to finish this." She said blandly. He only knew her to have a flat voice so she had no problem pretending to be numb.

'Good ol' Riza, always work first.' He thought as he left the room.

After a while she finally did come down to the mess hall. She sat at the table where the rest of her unit were even if he was there too.

"Argh!" He exclaimed. "There's Cecilia…She's going to bug me again…" He winced as soon as he saw that a girl, much younger than himself, with bright scarlet lock and small rose eyes was headed his way.

"Then crawl back into you little frozen rabbit hole." Riza scoffed.

He took a quick glance at her but decided to pretend he didn't hear but everyone heard.

The perky young girl was getting nearer and he couldn't spot any way he could dash off to. He was going to get in line fro some more food but it was too late, she was standing right in front of him.

"Hi General!" She said in one of the most annoying tones anyone could ever have the discomfort of hearing.

"Uh, Hey."

"I'm glad your back…" She showed her teeth and leaned dangerously forward that Havoc was worried her head might fall off, which he would be more than happy to catch, come to think of it.

"Good to be back." He said coolly.

"I was wondering…since uh…you were too busy before…maybe we could uh….." She started…oh no… she started…

"The General is still very busy Cecilia. If you would like an appointment, you should have one arranged formally." Hawkeye found herself blurting out.

No sooner after she'd said it and Cecilia had scurried away, embarrassed, did she already regret it.

'Why on earth did I do that?' She kept asking herself. '…maybe it's just out of routine.' She told herself. If only she could convince the rest of those seated at the table.

"Thank you." He said politely.

"As always…" Fuery commented.

"hmmm… As always…"

Back at their office, aside from Black Hayate, the only one talking the rest of the day was the General, rather complaining more than really talking.

"The life of a common soldier was so much simpler!" He would say after a yawn. "No paperwork! Argh! Blasted paperwork!" He would whine…

As this went on, Riza was being driven over the edge.

"Bah! Too much is expected in a position like this!" He half boasted, half complained. That was the last straw. Before she could stop herself, she found herself yelling at the General.

"If you find it do troubling her, then who don't you just...just…" She trailed away when she caught herself.

"…go back to my little frozen rabbit hole?" The man behind the desk finished for her.

Not feeling in the mood to be submissive, she decided that if she had gone this far, she ahd might as well get this of her chest. Yes, four years of questions, regrets and frustration were about to be dumped on him. He had better be ready for this.

People had seen Hawkeye pissed before. They'd seen her sick and tired and they were used to her being moody…but no one had ever seen her actually angry. Not like this anyway.

"Yes, go back to that sad sack you call a post. That's where cowards like you belong!"

"Coward?" He said, not really taken aback, more of amused.

"Wipe that smirk off you face, you idiot! You don't even deserve to be seated there!" Between pants, she found the feeling in her words and he began to spot the passion in her eyes. It intimidated him.

"Do you know...?" She said hoarsely. "how embarrassed I was when I heard you'd been demoted? Do you know how they looked at me, after you left?" She started to stammer a little, only a little. The firmness in her tone prevailed.

"I was a laughing stock! After the reputation I'd gained as your babysitter, you go and do something stupid like run away!"

"I…I was transferred."

Really, as dramatic as this scene was becoming, it's spectators couldn't help but stifle their laughter. They had missed this expression in their superior's face, the expression of sheer terror and the fact that it was brought on him by a woman was truly amusing.

"Yeah right. I know. Don't you think I'd found out? You weren't transferred, you asked to leave! You fled the city to avoid the shame you'd have to endure. That…that was just _pathetic_ Roy. _You_ were just pathetic." She said the last couple of sentences with such weight that the chuckling subsided and was replaced by an eerie silence.

His eyes shot at the mention of his first name. He had only heard her say it only once before, when he was lying half dead on the Fuhrer's porch. Again, he felt as if he was half dead, or dying and this time she was killing him…murdering his pride.

At the end of her speech she was panting, her disgusted expression hiding the real feeling that had overcome her-shock. Shock and awe that she had summoned the nerve to do that.

Riza slumped back down on her chair without a word. Roy looked down at his desk and everyone else pretended to get back to work when they were really still eyeing the two, expecting their superior to break out in either a mad fit a song any moment now.

Thankfully, he didn't do either. Havoc's heart jumped for joy. (The last time he broke out in a n\mad fit he accidentally burned Havoc. The last time Mustang broke into song he nearly broke his eardrums.)

The whole room was in a hush for what seemed like an eternity until a sharp ratting on the door was heard.

A familiar, gray haired older man, maybe in his late forties, appeared by the door.

"Mustang, I have a job for you and you unit."

The one addressed stood up abruptly and saluted, but kept a smirk in his eyes.

"I just got back…Sir."

"Why else do you think we decided that this was the perfect time to reinstate you? You're the perfect man for the job." The superior toyed.

"Yes sir." He replied.

"Now, come in for your briefing." He summoned and then closed the door.

The filed out quietly, still hung over by the shock of the after-lunch catfight they had just witnessed.

She was the second to the last to leave and he was the last. He held the door for chivalry's sake (maybe not for its sake alone).

"Sir…" She began, intending to make a formal apology even if she didn't really mean it.

"You are excused." He said simply, not looking at her.


	2. Another War?

Yey …you went this far! If you still haven't reviewed…do so:P

* * *

Fire destroys. All flames leave behind are devastation and grief. They leave behind the lonely relatives of the victims they ate up. The flash of red and orange hues is quick but painful. The extent of its damage is vague, uncontrollable…except for him.

Many think his flames also compare to the aspects of his life but none think the same way he thought of them.

Some said they were the women that fell at his feet, women he messed around with. Rather degradingly, people called these women his toys, things he did not take seriously, like the way he always played with fire.

Other's say it was his job. Such a high, influencing position that could bring peace or war to anything he wishes. A great gift and also a great danger was fire to the world. That's how they thought of having Roy Mustang in that kind of position to rule.

In his mind, the only opinion that he really thought mattered, he thought differently. He, himself was the flame. Swift, impulsive, quick to come and even faster to leave, that's how he found himself. Like the fire he created, he would tale no notice of the pain he caused while he caused it and only realized all the grief after everything was done, when everything was too late.

That's exactly how he felt…like everything was too late.

Of course, this was a state his ego could not permit him to admit. Still he fought, like a true soldier, to fix what he had so finely broken. He would continue until his conscience gave him peace.

The thing was, he usually had an embodiment of his conscience, in the form of his good friend Riza Hawkeye nagging him about the things he was doing wrong. Now that she had relieved herself of that duty, how would he know what he was supposed to do?

Sometimes fire finds itself out of oxygen or out of precious fuel. At this point the flame has nothing else to do but disappear. Though in its will to live, it will look for a way but mostly it just feels like a lost young child with nowhere to go and no idea of what he should be doing.

Roy Mustang is like the flame he holds.

* * *

He was bored. The trip across the dessert was a long, uneventful one. There was nothing to do and no one worth speaking to. Well there was some_one_, but she didn't seem like she even wished to look at him, hence, he was bored.

The morning dragged on into noon and it went on until the sun was a romantic shade of pink.

He looked out the window into the golden abyss.

'How could someone survive in a place so dead? More so, how could anyone even bare hiding out here to have a war?' There were just some principles not even his twisted mind could comprehend.

Whatever their reasons were, they were snatching him away from precious lazy time he could be having behind his desk right now. After all, there was no one to reprimand him anymore.

'Bah!' As much as he tried to veer his thoughts away from his current social problems, his mind kept returning to that same time, that same person. When he tried to make light of the situation, he doesn't fool himself for even a moment.

He doubted a sandstorm, an earthquake, a bloody transmutation circle or even a miniskirt would catch his attention for very long.

Soon enough, his eyelids grew heavy and the gentle winds outside lulled him off to sleep.

Later…

The dusty desert breeze was the first to greet her when she got down from the train. Aside from the station, which miraculously still stood, the rest of the town was in ruins. Half the buildings were already reduced to rubble and those left in a substantial state had their roofs blown off or their window smashed in.

Amongst this depressing scene, she spotted a couple of children playing with some stones by a small trickle that she guessed used to be a fountain. She let their innocent laughter distract her from her grim duties for a moment.

She had been enjoying watching the children's game when she felt a firm hold rest on her shoulder. She jumped at who she feared it was only to realize it was only the Strong Arm Alchemist looking down on her with clear, blue caring eyes amidst all that muscle.

"I heard of your little welcome speech to the general." He said kindly, minding his tone.

"hmm… Perhaps I overreacted a bit." She softly admitted.

"Nonsense. He needed a slap in the face and I doubt he would have listened if it had come from anyone else. You gave him quite a little shock." He teased.

"I just thought a reality check after that runaway stunt he pulled would do him good." She said guiltily.

"I was good for him. And maybe a bit of field work will be good for all of us."

"How could war be good for anyone?"

"We're not here to fight a war. We're only here to suppress a rebellion."

"That's what they said about Ishbal…and about Lior." She whispered bitterly.

"There are no more Humuculi to trick people into war. We have learned." The large man pointed out, keeping an optimistic air to his words.

"People never needed them or any monster to be selfish. We can do that just fine all on our own."

And they were silent.

Armstrong followed her gave to the children and cracked a smile.

"Our scouts should be back soon. Maybe we came here for nothing after all." He finally said.

"mmm hmmm…."

Suddenly the whole troop heard loud, frantic yells coming their way. Indeed their scouts had return but not with the new Armstrong predicted.

"It's empty! The town's got no people in it!" One yelled hysterically.

"None alive! Bodies! Only bodies! Everyone's either gone or dead!" The other screamed with his partner.

Their words struck horror down their fellow soldiers spines. One idea seemed to echo through all their minds: _We're too late._

Riza snatched her gaze back to the two kids. She planned to run to them and ask them if they knew what had gone on, and to take them into her care. They were probably the last people around.

But when she turned to look at them again, they were no longer alone. An adult, or maybe an adolescent, she wasn't entirely sure, had crawled towards them. From what she could make out, the soldier guessed it was a woman. She was in horrible shape, blood oozing down her robes from her stomach.

She could only stand and watch as the lady reached out to the two children, muttering something she couldn't understand, until the soldier recovered from her shock and yelled.

"_Survivors!"_

Even in the desert, her words rang through the camp like an echo. In less than a minute their were a dozen other soldiers and doctors who had come to assist the woman and children.

* * *

The young soldier, her long blonde hair kept neatly in a bun and her uniform well kept, sat at the bedside of an older woman who had garments less proper. Beside her, two boys kneeled by the foldable bed wearing warm towels over their shoulders and worried expressions on their faces.

They watched her every move as she fed sips of water and spoonfuls of soup to the woman who did not say a word of thanks nor complaint.

Soon two more people joined them in the small tent; Major Armstrong, her earlier companion and Brigadier General Mustang, her superior.

"How is she?" The latter asked sincerely.

"Her health has gotten better but she refuses to talk to me." She explained patiently.

"Maybe she is a mute?" Armstong suggested.

"Certainly not. I saw her talking to these children before I came in. She just…doesn't feel up to speaking to us. Are you?" Lieutenant Hawkeye looked at the woman with genuinely kind eyes. She smiled but the woman only looked away.

"Maybe the kids know something."

"I doubt it." Riza said flatly.

The two only gave her baffled looks but they quickly erased them when they saw her flash an annoyed face and motion them not to bother the children. The truth was that she truly doubted they'd be aware of such a tragedy the befell their town. Not after how happy they were when she first saw them. How could anyone seem so naïve after seeing something so horrible, even if they were children?

She was decided on their innocence so she brushed the issue away.

"What are our orders?"

"We wait." Said the general. "They're sending a squad to survey the outskirts of this city within a 10 mile radius. Until we hear from them, we wait here."

There was an awkward silence after the lack of a new topic.

"What I don't understand is…" the larger man tried to break the hush. "Is why the townspeople ended up in such a state. If this were a rebellion, then why does it look more like a mass man slaughter?"

"A division among the people maybe?"

"Maybe…"

The woman on the bed suddenly started to shake her head violently as if to disagree.

"No!" She finally spoke. "There was never a rebellion here."

* * *

Later, when it was just after sunset and the blazing desert heat became freezing cold, Riza Hawkeye found herself taking a stroll around the camp fro no apparent reason.

There were so many stars out here in the open. All the flashiness and shimmer of Central City blocked out the more beautiful glitter.

She spent about an hour just looking at them until the sky had turned almost pitch black if not for them. Stared in awe at the number of them but did not make a single wish. Apart from being a very practical person not to believe in superstition, she also knew that no matter how many stars there were, no matter how many times she wished it, her one true plea would never be granted.

"Lieutenant."

Riza made an automatic salute at the sound of her name. It came from a young, short, messy haired soldier with glasses whom she didn't really know well.

"The Brigadier General called for you in his tent." He conveyed.

"Oh? Uh…ah… yes… alright I'm going."

In the silence of the night she towards a tent near the center of camp, larger than the one she shared with a fellow female soldier. She hesitated a little before pulling aside the curtain and entering.

"_Sir?"_


	3. A Date? Not Exactly

Hey guys I'm back! So sorry about the confusion in the last two chapters. I really appreciate the criticism you guys gave me but you guys didn't mention the part that was confusing you so I couldn't really fix it. Next time, please be specific so I can right my wrongs and you guys can enjoy the story:)

Since some still find the story unclear, here's a quick recap:

_**Chapter 1**_

_1. After the movie, Mustang's demoted and reassigned to some frozen place far away right?_

_2. So in this story, he comes back and gets reinstated at Brigadier General._

_3. For her personal reasons, Hawkeye doesn't want to see him so she comes to work late. 4. When she finally does come, she acts like nothing happened and they have lunch._

_5. During lunch, some military flirt tries to ask Roy out and Riza gets all defensive._

_6. After lunch Riza and Roy have a quarrel and where Riza finally throws at Roy all the hurt and suppressed feelings she's had since he left. (in front of the rest of their unit)_

_7. Basically she thinks he's a coward who ran away from the shame he would have endured from killing Bradley._

_8. An awkward silence follows their fight and then a High Ranked military official enters and tells them they have a mission._

_**Chapter 2**_

_1. They're on a train headed to a town in the desert where a rebellion has apparently erupted._

_2. Roy's looking out of the window at the sand and being emo about what Riza told him._

_3. They arrive at the town and Riza spots two children playing near a broken fountain and watches them as her thoughts wander._

_4. Armstrong taps her shoulder and he starts small talk with her. He commends her on her little spat with Roy they start to talk about Ishbal, Lior and the Humuculi._

_5. The two scouts they sent come back screaming that the down is full of dead bodies and that they found no signs of life._

_6. Remembering the two children she was watching earlier, Riza looks at them again to find that and injured old woman has come up to them._

_7. She yells out that she's found survivors and the children and the woman are medically assisted._

_8. Later, Riza is attending to the woman and children in a tent when Roy and Armstrong enter._

_9. They try to ask the old woman questions but she refuses to speak to them though they're sure she's not a mute._

_10. Realizing it's useless, the soldier begin to discuss what the military will do about the current situation._

_11. When the old lady hears them referring to a rebellion in the city she suddenly speaks up and denies there was ever a rebellion in that city._

_12. Later that night, Hawkeye is strolling through the camp when a lower ranked soldier comes up to her and tells her that Mustang sent for her._

_13. She heads for his tent._

There you go a brief summary of the last two chapters. Now for the rest of the story….

* * *

"_It was nothing sir. I wish you to think nothing of it please, sir." She said crisply, swallowing her pride and sucking in her gut in a stiff salute._

"_I don't believe it was nothing Lieutenant." He said smoothly, almost casually. He had his fingers, wrapped in those clean white gloves, cris-crossed professionally on his lap as he sat up on the mat that was his bed. "You seemed quite passionate when you said them and if I know you, Hawkeye, when you're passionate about something, you mean it."_

"_Sir..." Her voice began to break. "I value my duties whole-heartedly, sir."_

"_I know but isn't it your duty to tell your superior the truth?" He scoffed at her._

_He was mocking her and she hated feeling so defenseless but she was in no position to be cocky right now. She was on his turf and this was work. She just had to take it, take it all gracefully._

"_It was simply a moment of mixed fatigue and frustration, sir." She just said._

"_Are you that troubled by me Lieutenant, that you must throw all your life's frustration upon me?"_

"_I…" Her voice quivered and her knees felt weak. She was really not ready for a spat right now. She still felt somehow weakened by the events of the day, the old woman and what she said…it was just too much for a day. Riza Hawkeye felt vulnerable, she felt weak and powerless._

_What happened to the shy, awkward man that was with Armstrong when they came to her and the survivors in the tent this afternoon? He seemed so…humble only a few hours ago and now he was back to his cocky, arrogant ways. She unfortunately, hadn't bounced back yet._

"_Riza…" He said in the most unusual tone that she could not even describe. "I apologize for leaving so abruptly. I simply wished to die in the grave I dug for myself and I did not wish to bring you with me. That is why I did not inform you of my transfer."_

"…_Until you had already gone…" She whispered to herself, finishing his sentence._

"_What was that?" His voice returned to its normal pitch._

"_Nothing, sir. You need not explain."_

_Then the most curious thing happened. Even stranger was that it lasted for quite a while, long enough for her to verify that it really was happening. The General smiled at her, a friendly, innocently thankful smile._

"_Lieutenant, let us both take the lookout post tonight. I believe we've slept enough on the train this morning. Maybe we can stay up tonight and catch up on the years we've missed." Mustang offered. "Do you accept?"_

"_Yes sir."_

**Later…**

**Riza's POV**

Why on earth did I accept? I'm tired as hell. I can barely keep my eyes open! Why did I say yes???

Now I'm stuck at some remote cliff in the blistering cold waiting for _him_.

Ugh.

Man, am I stupid.

It's so cold.

Where is he? I bet he fell asleep himself.

Ugh.

Man, am I stupid.

That tone he used when he asked me… I've never heard him use it before. And that smile…it's so different from the one he always makes.

And I could have sworn…no. It couldn't have been.

If I didn't know better I'd think he just asked me out.

…and I accepted.

Ugh.

Man, am I stupid.

**Normal POV**

Riza's knees were too her chin and her arms wrapped around them. She sat facing the camp and the city on a tall sand dune half a mile away. Frustratingly, she was alone.

Soon enough though, a new figure crept up quietly behind her and, seeing her shivering body, draped a thick dark brown coat over her shoulders.

He sat beside her with one of his knees up and an arm rested picturesquely on it.

"Sorry I'm late." He said without looking at her, instead fixing his gaze on the resting camp.

She nodded in acknowledgment, pulling the coat tighter around herself.

"How have you been these past few years then?" He started small talk first.

"Nothing much has changed. I'm still in the same rank, as you can see." She said equally plainly.

"Hmm. I had expected you to have climbed military ladders by now." He teased.

"Why? What am I supposed to work for? Becoming part of parliament? No not for me…"

"I think this nation would be pretty well off having you run it."

"I thought that was your dream, sir."

There was an awkward silence in the realization of their failed dreams.

His: running a rightful country.

Hers: helping him get there.

"Sir?"

"Yes, Hawkeye?"

"There's been a rumor I've been meaning to ask you to verify."

"And what piece of gossip is that?"

"A few months ago…" she hesitated. "Before you reinstatement, there was an attack on Lior and Central City and… in the city below it."

"Yes. I recall. That was when I returned to Central but that's no rumor, Riza."

"Yes sir but… Alphonse Elric… was never seen after that day and… there was a rumor from Lt. Ross and Ms. Rockbell that Edward Elric was seen that day. Is it true? Did he really return?"

Mustang wrinkled his eyebrows at the question. He remembered that day very clearly, as if it were yesterday. After a long pause, he chuckled.

"That's pretty out of this world don't you think lieutenant? Edward Elric is dead."

"You never really believed that, did you sir? After all, it wasn't really clear how he died."

"Didn't you have the pleasure of seeing young Alphonse in the flesh? Wasn't that a good enough reason why Edward had to die?"

"Yes, but… why would that Winry girl lie? What really happened down there, Roy?"

At the sound of his first name, he turned to her and she stared straight into his deep, penetrating gaze.

"They're an amazing pair, those boys. I'm glad for them they're reunited."

"Where? They are together where?"

"Beyond the gate, Hawkeye. Where they belong."

She hung her head. 'Beyond the gate' was a place she could not perceive and as far as she could tell, the boys this country owe so much too are long gone.

She took a deep breathe and began to play with the flame in the torch in front of her.

"So it was only a rumor after all." She whispered but loud enough for the General to hear.

"That was a terrible day, if you only saw it. It was a nightmare and I'm sure Edward Elric would have been horrified if he had seen it." He seemed to reply.

"I just thought…that if what that woman said was true then having those boys around would be very useful indeed. And if Edward had been seen then there was a chance, even a slim one, that we could get them back."

"Yes, it would be convenient if they were around, wouldn't it?"

They both looked down at the dark city below them. It was so different from Central or East cit. There, even in the dead of night there were still a few lights that shone and some people in pubs and night shifts. Even then, the city was alive. This place was not only a slum, it was lifeless and sad.

As they surveyed the place they couldn't help but feel a pang of homesickness and fear because they could tell that they wouldn't be coming back in a while.

Suddenly, Hawkeye felt his hand brush her hair behind her ear. She found him looking at her in that same strange expression he was wearing earlier that night.

"What is it, sir?"

"There's going to be another war."

She nodded.

"and you will fight by my side as always?"

"like always, sir." She said, puzzled.

"That's all the courage I need. I won't be a coward anymore. I promise."

And she smiled and understood.

* * *

**_Much Earlier_**

"_Humuculi? Here? Now? Again? But how?"_

"_After all the notices we put up… after all that's happened…who'd be stupid enough to…"_

"_I don't think this was put of any carelessness, major."_

"_Lady Dante is dead… for sure. There's nobody left to…"_

"_Like you said Hawkeye: Humans don't need anyone to force them into evil."_

* * *

I hope I did better this time. Please review! 


	4. New enemies ? like the old

In a poorly kept cottage with dusty walls and rickety floorboards, five figures were concealed in the shadows, talking in only whispers.

One was a young boy, probably about 11 or 12, with dark skin and red eyes. He sat outstretched on some large crates, his feet raised lazily on them. He wore a evil smirk, not something you'd expect from such youth.

"That was a bit of fun wasn't it?"

Another one, an old man with gray hair and a bushy white beard nodded at the young boy. He stood in the rooms darkest spot, away from all the windows, with his back against the door.

Nearby, narrowly missing the bright moonlight from the window was a slim, voluptuous young lady. She smiled at the younger boy.

"Yes, that was _pleasantly enjoyable_." She grinned.

"You two are pathetic." remarked the fourth party, an unusually tall, muscular young man with the same tan skin and scarlet eyes as the younger boy. "_That_ amused you? I can dream a better time that that in my sleep."

"You're the one to talk, as if you've been around that long. You're younger than me!" wailed the young boy.

"I'm not any younger than you, squirt. Shut up."

"Hush, you too! Uncle, would you please tear them apart? Their upsetting my little sister!" The pretty young woman turned to pat the head of the little girl, no more than five years of age, playing with a rubber ball by her feet.

The old man scowled. "Stop calling the rest of us your family, girly. We're not. None of us have family. You know that." He scoffed.

She turned up her nose. The little girl playing by her feet looked up at her 'older sister' and gave her a thoughtfully curious look them resumed to bang her toy ball violently on the floor.

They were all quiet at the mention of the harsh reality they were _born_ into. The moonlight shone into the humble hut, not a single beam of it touching any of them.

The boy, wanting to lighten up all the tension, finally broke the silence..

"You know, I heard the funniest thing from this one old man before he bled to death."

"And what was that?" Said the old man, entertaining the boy.

"He kept yelling 'Humuculi! Humuculi! They're back!' It was disgusting, made me want to quicken his death." He said rather proudly.

"How dare he compare us to those obsolete amateurs?!" The young woman scowled. "They named themselves after _sins_! It just says a lot about how pathetic they thought themselves."

"_We_ on the other hand, are perfect."

Devilish smiles graced all their faces, even the young girl's.

* * *

Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was almost finished with her night guard shift. She could already see bright light rising up on the horizon. 

'So far so good.' She thought. The night was peaceful. No invasions and now, thank goodness, Humuculi. She cringed at the thought of monsters like those still existing. 'No,' she thought. 'Gluttony was the last. We've sent professionals to educate every alchemist about Humuculi. No one would be stupid enough….'

She heard the man lying beside her, curled up in a warm blanket, stir. He'd fallen asleep a little past midnight. She was petty much on her own most of the shift. She yawned. Now it was her turn to get some rest. Her companion moaned and started to blink his eyes open.

"Is it morning already?"

"Yes sir. Our shift is over." She informed him.

"All is well, I suppose?"

She nodded.

"Well then, come one. Let's go get some breakfast."

She found it in her heart to smile. "No thank you, sir. I'm tired. I'd rather get some sleep."

He smiled back and nodded. "Alright. Go on then."

They parted ways, heading for either side of the camp. For the first time in years, they parted without and uneasiness between them. She was safely at her tent already. Her two roommates had already woken up and gone wherever. She was alone and at peace. The blonde rest her head on a pillow and shut her eyes.

She dozed off.

She never did know how many hours or minutes or maybe just hours of sleep had before she startled and awaken by a loud series of gunshots and screams.

She ripped the entrance of the tent open and headed out, her gun at the ready.

The lieutenant quickly realized the entire camp was under siege. What she didn't know was by whom. Soldiers and state alchemists were running around frantically in every direction but she could see any signs of enemies.

All of the sudden she was pelted by thousands of what she thought were bullets from behind. As soon as she fell on the ground though, she realized they couldn't be bullets because she was still alive. Some of whatever hit her fell by her head. Looking at them closely, she realized they were… pellets?

Darn fast and sharp pellets. She concluded, feeling the deep scratches at her back.

She struggled to get up and hid under a nearby shelter, trying to spot her own unit. He couldn't spot any of them. The cuts on her back were deeper than she thought. They stung to the point she could hardly move her arm. Luckily for her, she only needed a snap of the wrist to handle her pistol.

She was capable but never the less vulnerable. Riza felt close to hopeless, until she saw a bright light in the distance…

A flame the size of a ten story building….

Roy…


End file.
